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THE "WILL 



BIOGRAPHY 



OF THE LATE 



STEPHEN GIRARD, ESQ, 



the 



WILL 



or THE LATt 



STEPHEN GIBARD, ESQ. 



PROCURED FROM THE 



<£fftce for the probate ot TOUte, 



WITH A SHORT 



BIOGRAPHY OF HIS LIFE. 



The architect of his own fortunes — he has reared a durable monument of 
his fame in the benefactions he has bequeathed to posterity. 



U. S. A. 



? PHILADELPHIA: ^SJc- 







PUBLISHED BY 

THOMAS AND ROBERT DESILVER 
1832. 



# 



csr- &> 



[Entered according to Act of Congress, lij TiIomas arid Robert Drsir.VFK 
in the Office of the Cleric of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Jan. 3rf, 1833.] 



BMEiOTmiL SUND 



OF 



STEPHEN GIRARD. 



— ♦>*@«<- 



STEPHEN GIRARD was born at Bordeaux, in France, in, or 
about the year 1746. Little is known of the early period of his life; 
and his education is supposed to have been scanty and deficient; 
whether owing to the neglect of his parents, or the natural wayward- 
ness of youth, cannot now be known. A spirit of enterprise, 
a love of adventure, and a thirst of new scenes and untried situations, 
veiy early distinguished him ; and no doubt, as early impelled him 
to leave his native land, for foreign climes and novel modes of exist- 
ence. It has been said, but with what truth we are not now enabled 
to state, that parental oppression embittered the shelter of his do- 
mestic roof, and inspired him with the first thought of emigration; 
but it is so easy for the high temperament of youth, to fancy that se- 
vere which is only just, and to plead the tyranny of parents, in justi- 
fication of their own want of filial piety, that we are bound on all 
occasions, to listen to such narratives as the usual figments of the 
young, who are naturally disposed to embellish every thing with the 
tints of romance ; and let fancy riot, where facts are obscured from 
their knowledge. It is most likely, taking into consideration the pe- 
culiar structure of the mind of Stephen Girard, that he was impelled 
by the natural enterprise of his vigorous spirit, to quit the parental 
roof, and to launch himself at once into the boundless ocean of life, 
to taste its bitterest waters, or reach in safety its most secure har- 
bour. 



At the of age twelve, or fourteen, he is supposed to have left Bor- 
deaux, in the capacity of a cabin boy, in a vessel bound to some port 
in the West Indies; where he is supposed to have remained, trading 
in that station, between the different islands, and to the United States, 
until he attained to the situation of Mate,- in which capacity he first 
arrived in this country, at the port of New York. How long he re- 
mained in that city, we are not informed. His arrival at New York 
was probably about the year 1775. 
From N. York he removed into New Jersey, and was for some time 
settled at Mount Holly, when the American Army was stationed in 
that vicinity. He here kept a small store, and manufactured segars; 
a trade that he had probably acquired in some of the West India 
Islands. 

Mr. Girard settled in Philadelphia about the year 1779. In 1783, 
he inhabited a small frame tenement on the scite of that elegant brick 
mansion in which he died ; to which were annexed a range of two 
storied wooden stores. At this period, his commerce was confined to 
old iron and old rigging. He then had no ship or vessel of any de- 
scription. He was a poor man — obscure, little known, and less no- 
ticed. 

Mr. Girard, like all men of wealth, commenced the world with 
" small beginnings." At first a cabin boy ; then mate of a small 
schooner ; afterwards a shop keeper, selling segars and groceries ; 
then keeper of a small tavern, or store in Water-street, Philadelphia, 
vhere he bottled claret, and continued his manufacture of segars — 
Stephen Girard successively rose to the rank of the first merchant, 
and the most opulent banker in the country ; stimulated by never 
tiring industry, and unremitting in his efforts to attain an indepen- 
dency. Though long poor, and unsuccessful in trade, his motto, 
" industry and frugality,'''' at last triumphed. With Mr. Girard, 
business was a passion ; and like all who devote themselves with 
enthusiasm to any pursuit, and who are gifted with genius for their 
profession, he finally succeeded in realizing a fortune, without exam- 
ple in the history of trade, when the forlorn and destitute condition 
of his early life is taken into consideration. By what degrees he in- 
creased his property, cannot yet be known ; and is not material to our 
proper estimation of his character. "By their fruits ye shall know 
them." Mr. Girard realized his millions from commerce — and his 
nights as well as days were devoted to the sorcery of the "Water 
Witch." At the time of his demise, his fortune is estimated to have 



amounted to the sum of from twelve to fifteen millions of dollars. 
Mr. Girard has left several relations, who reside in Bordeaux, and 
this city. His brother and sister are still living in the former place ; 
and he has two very accomplished nieces married in Philadelphia; 
one to John Hemphill, Esq., and another to Dr. J. Y. Clark; both 
gentlemen of opulence and respectability. A third niece also resides 
with Mrs. Clark, extremely amiable and very accomplished. He is 
also said to have left several nephews ; whose education he was 
careful to promote. 

No man has been more remarkable for his active personal philan- 
thropy, than Mr. Girard ; especially amidst those horrid scenes of 
devastating pestilence that depopulated and scourged our city, under 
the name of yellow fever. In 1793, more particularly, Mr. Girard 
was eminently distinguished for his active exertions, in ministering 
to the sick, and devising plans for the prevention and restriction of 
contagion. In this laudable, but perilous and appalling work, Mr. 
Girard had but few colleagues ; and of those few, but one now sur- 
vives, in the person of Mathew Carey, Esq., alike distinguished for 
his usefulness, tmd who has paid a just tribute of applause to the ex- 
emplary labours of Mr. Girard, in that eventful crisis. 

Perhaps the first business Mr. Girard engaged in, upon his coming 
to Philadelphia, was that of an aquatic pedlar, up and down the bor- 
ders of the Delaware, as far as Trenton — supplying the neighbour- 
ing farmers with groceries, and ready made clothing, for money, or 
produce. This trade he prosecuted in a small sail boat ; returning 
eveiy fortnight or three weeks, for a fresh supply. The acquaint- 
ances he had contracted with the farmers whilst keeping store at 
Mount Holly, had no doubt suggested, as it afterwards facilitated, 
this .exchange of products. 

It was long before Mr. Girard grew rich ; for no man accumu- 
lates immense wealth by sudden means. Industry is tardy and pro- 
gressive in her gains, and even speculation, when most favourable, 
is counterbalanced by adverse chances, that often substract from the 
harvest of good fortune. Mr. Girard was occupied in commerce, 
when it made fortunes for all its votaries — but when the " Water 
Witch" turned her smiles from trade, he wisely directed the greater 
portion of his immense capital into other and more secure, but less 
profitable channels: and thus continued to reap a moderate, but cer- 
tain harvest, at a time, when others were losing even their seed- 
«rain. 



Immediately prior to the expiration of the charter of the old 
bank of the United States in 1810 & 11, Mr. Girard, upon consulta- 
tion with Geo. Simpson, Esq. who calculated on the renewal of the 
charter, had instructed the Messrs. Barings, of London, to purchase 
for him a large amount of the stock of the Bank of the United 
States; which they accordingly did, to the nett value of one million 
eight hundred thousand dollars,\mder the expectation of the renewal 
of the charter, and a consequent realization of immense profits. Dis- 
appointed in this object, he determined to establish a private Bank, 
under the superintendance of the late George Simpson, the Cashier 
of that Institution ; to whom he chiefly confided its transactions ; con- 
tenting himself with the mere approval of its discounting transac- 
tions. This was in 1812, since which the capital of the Bank has 
augmented to Five Millions. 

A more useful and liberal application of his surplus capital, to the 
wants of the mercantile community, at that peculiar crisis, and at 
the common rate of interest, could not well have been imagined. 
His bank, conducted on liberal principles, realized profit to himself 
and immense facilities to the public. The capital of the old Bank 
of the United States had then just been abstracted from circulation, 
and Mr. Girard's two millions went far to arrest bankruptcies, ease 
the money market, and restore public confidence and credit to their 
wonted elasticity. 

Mr. Girard became a very heavy subscriber to the present Bank 
of the United States ; in the management of which, he was for 
many years active and efficient ; always on the side of sound prin- 
ciples, and firmly opposed to its measures during the era of the specu- 
lation in its stock. At the time of its institution, he had government 
deposits to the amount of One Million in his Bank, which was paid 
into the vaults of the new institution with great rapidity, and so effi- 
ciently in the form of specie, as to contribute essentially to the resto- 
ration of the currency to its ancient metallic soundness. In a very 
short time, he brought the Bank of the United States into his debt, 
and with few exceptions, ever after kept it so. Few of the monied 
institutions of the country, could have accomplished as much as this 
opulent banker, to aid the government in producing the resumption 
of specie payments. 

Although apposed to the system of speculation in the stock of the 
Bank of the United States, Mr. Girard could not fail to profit by the 
public delirium that it had excited. By the stock he sold out at that 



Vll 



period, he gained a clear half million of dollars, when it command- 
ed 150 to 160 advance; still retaining a share in the stock greater 
than that of any other individual in the country. 

The loan of Five Millions was taken by Mr. Girard, of the go- 
vernment, in the darkest hour of the last war; and when trembling at 
the brink — or, rather floundering in the gulf of bankruptcy and dis- 
credit. The temptation of great profit was certainly powerful, to 
receive 100 seven per cent, stock for 70! But on the other hand, 
the risk of loss appeared great — public credit had expired, and the 
hopes of the stoutest hearts began to wither. It was an hour that 
" tried men's souls," and locked up the capital of the country in the 
vaults of fear and suspicion. Great as was the temptation of profit, 
few were found willing to put their capital in jeopardy, under the 
frowning aspect of the times; when the Union was hanging by a 
single hair, and the country every day falling into the hands of the 
enemy. 

The habits of Mr. Girard were exclusively those of the man of bu- 
siness. He had no pleasures, but in the performance of active duties : 
always to be found busy in his compting room, or bustling on his 
farm, for he was also fond of Agriculture ; feeding his own cattle, 
curing his own beef, and even bestowing his attention on the culture 
of a vegetable garden, the produce of which he caused to be taken to 
market. His fruits and his flowers were also of the most choice kind. 
But in his hands, for his was the touch of Midas, every thing was 
turned into gold ; and fruits, flowers, vegetables, ships, houses, lots, 
Bank, and all, contributed in the end, to pour millions in his lap. 
Like all men of immense wealth, it was his peculiar delight, to cast 
his eyes over the aggregate of his millions. But he took most plea- 
sure in adding house to house, lot to lot, until he could count his 
squares of buildings, and found it impossible to count the number of 
his deeds, parchments, and warrants. To the Schuylkill Navigation 
Company, he was an efficient friend, in the hour of need — as well as 
to the Chesapeake Canal Company, and other public works of vast 
importance, and lasting utility. In the arduous struggle of the Bank 
of the United States to resume specie payments, Mr. Girard, under 
the councils and influence of his Cashier, Mr. Simpson, was essen- 
tially instrumental in producing that result ; as well as interposing 
his voice to reclaim the«Bank from the gulf of speculation, and place 
it on a proper basis ; forwhich he offered to the Bank of the United 
States all his capital, specie, &c, if they would appoint George 



vm 



'impson, Cashier, and conduct it on his legitimate principles. 

Mr. Girard has no children to mourn his demise — but the whole 
community will feel his sudden departure, and our city long have 
cause to deplore his exit to the world of spirits ! 

In one sense, and in the best sense, Mr. Girard may be justly cal- 
led a public benefactor ; not less for the public improvements he 
projected and accomplished during his lifetime, which were unequal- 
ed by those of any other individual — than for the beneficent public 
objects, for which he has bequeathed the chief part of his fortune. 
Even at the time of his death, his operations as a Merchant were 
very extensive ; and the commerce of Philadelphia will long deplore 
the abstraction of his capital from its business. 

The great public benefactions made by the will of Stephen 
Girard, which we here annex, and which cannot fail to excite the in- 
terest and curiosity of every rational mind — proclaim him as one of 
the first philanthropists of the age ; and however individual sel- 
fishness among his friends or his kinsmen, might regret the direc- 
tion his immense fortune has taken — but which we believe is not the 
case — yet an enlightened benevolence will rejoice, that his great 
wealth has been devised, with unparalleled patriotism and public 
spirit, for the benefit of the community; and not the gratifica- 
tion of private passions, or individual avarice. 

His liberal endowments for the purposes of education, would 
alone shed lustre on his name, and insure him an immortality in the 
hearts of all future generations. To enlighten the mind of the peo- 
ple, is to improve their virtue and extend their usefulness, not less 
than their happiness, comfort, and freedom. 

Mr. Girard's understanding in point of intellectual power, was cer- 
tainly one of the first order. He thought much, and thought pro- 
foundly — but as is often the case with the strongest minds, his train 
of reflection was frequently apt to describe an eccentric orbit. Yet 
in the ordinary affairs of business, he was, for that very reason, more 
correct, or if you please, more fortunate than the regular right an- 
gled speculators of the day. His principal trait of mind, was antici- 
pation. He had digested topics, when others were only beginning 
to think of them ; and the common observer was often astonished to 
find, that what he thought he was communicating as news to Mr. 
Girard, was a matter quite familiar to him; and that on the strength 
of it, he was already employed in loading a ship, or prosecuting a 
speculation. 



Mr. Girard, in his person, was of stout frame, about five feet six 
inches in height. His manners were plain; and in conversation he 
was taciturn, except on business, and being generally engaged by his 
numerous avocations, he was impatient of all conversation, except 
what related to his pursuits on hand. In his mode of living he was 
plain, simple, and void of ostentation. The routine of high life, never 
had charms to withdraw him from his early habits of simplicity, even 
in the zenith of his fortune. His recreation was business — he knew 
no other pleasure, and labour was to him delight. He was particu- 
larly fond of working on his farm; and he out-worked all the la- 
bourers he employed. At the very close of life, he allowed himself 
no respite from business; never dreamed of retiring; but in the 
words of our great dramatic poet, adapted to his civil pursuits, he 
may be said to have " died with harness on his bach" 



THE WILL 



OV THE LATE 



STEPHEJf GIRARD, ESQ« 






I, Stephen Girard, of the City of Philadelphia, in 
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Mariner and 
Merchant, being of sound mind, memory and under- 
standing, do make and publish this my last Will and 
Testament, in manner following: that is to say — 

I. I give and bequeath unto " The Contributors to 
the Pennsylvania Hospital," of which Corporation I 
arn a member, the sum of Thirty Thousand Dollars, 
upon the following conditions, namely, that the said 
sum shall be added to their Capital, and shall remain 
a part thereof forever, to be placed at interest, and 
the interest thereof to be applied, in the first place, to 
pay to my black woman Hannah (to whom I hereby 
give her freedom,) the sum of two hundred dollars 
per year, in quarterly payments of fifty dollars each 
in advance, during all the term of her life; and, in 
the second place, the said interest to be applied to the 
use and accommodation of the sick in the said Hos- 
pital, and for providing, and at all times having com- 
petent matrons, and a sufficient number of nurses 
and assistant nurses, in order not only to promote the 
purposes of the said Hospital, but to increase this 
last class of useful persons much wanted in our 
city. a 



II. I give and bequeath to "The Pennsylvania 
Institution for the Deaf and Dumb," the sum of 
Twenty Thousand Dollars, for the use of that Insti- 
tution. 

III. I give and bequeath to " The Orphan Asylum 
of Philadelphia," the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, 
for the use of that Institution. 

IV. I give and bequeath to ". The Comptrollers of 
the Public Schools for the City and County of Phila- 
delphia," the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, for the 
use of the Schools upon the Lancaster system, in 
the first section of the first school district of Penn- 
sylvania. 

V. I give and bequeath to "The Mayor, Alder- 
men and Citizens of Philadelphia," the sum of Ten 
Thousand Dollars, in trust safely to invest the same 
in some productive fund, and with the interest and 
dividends arising therefrom to purchase fuel between 
the months of March and August in every year 
forever, and in the month of January in every year 
forever, distribute the same amongst poor white 
house-keepers and room-keepers, of good character, 
residing in the city of Philadelphia. 

VI. I give and bequeath to the Society for the 
Relief of poor and distressed Masters of Ships, their 
Widows and Children, (of which Society I am a 
member) the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, to be 
added to their Capital stock, for the uses and pur- 
poses of said Society. 

VII. I give and bequeath to the gentlemen who 
shall be Trustees of the Masonic Loan, at the time 
of my decease, the sum of Twenty Thousand Dollars, 
including therein ten thousand and nine hundred 
dollars due to me, part of the Masonic Loan, and 



any interest that may be due thereon at the time of 
my decease, in trust for the use and benefit of " The 
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and Masonic Juris- 
diction thereto belonging," and to be paid over by 
the said Trustees to the said Grand Lodge, for the 
purpose of being invested in some safe stock or funds, 
or other good security, and the dividends and in- 
terest arising therefrom to be again so invested and 
added to the Capital, without applying any part 
thereof to any other purpose, until the whole capital 
shall amount to thirty thousand dollars, when the 
same shall forever after remain a permanent fund or 
Capital, of the said amount of thirty thousand dollars, 
the interest whereof shall be applied from time to 
time to the relief of poor and respectable brethren; 
and in order that the real and benevolent purposes 
of masonic institutions may be attained, I recom- 
mend to the several lodges not to admit to member- 
ship, or to receive members from other lodges unless 
the applicants shall absolutely be men of sound and 
good morals. 

VIII. I give and bequeath unto Philip Peltz, John 
Lentz, Francis Hesley, Jacob Baker and Adam 
Young, of Passyunk township, in the County of Phi- 
ladelphia, the sum of Six Thousand Dollars, in trust, 
that they or the survivors or survivor of them shall 
purchase a suitable piece of ground, as near as may 
be in the centre of said township, and thereon erect 
a substantial brick building, sufficiently large for a 
school-house, and the residence of a school-master, 
one part thereof for poor male white children, and 
the other part for poor female white children of said 
township; and as soon as the said school-house shall 
have been built, that they the said trustees or the 



survivors or survivor of them, shall convey the said 
piece of ground and house thereon erected, and shall 
pay over such balance of said sum as may remain 
unexpended to any board of directors and their 
successors in trust, which may at the time exist or 
be by law constituted, consisting of at least twelve 
discreet inhabitants of the said township, and to be 
annually chosen by the inhabitants thereof; the said 
piece of ground and house to be carefully maintained 
by said directors and their successors solely for the 
purposes of a school as aforesaid forever, and the 
said balance to be securely invested as a permanent 
fund, the interest thereof to be applied from time to 
time towards the education in the said school of any 
number of such poor white children of said township; 
and I do hereby recommend to the citizens of said 
township to make additions to the fund whereof I 
have laid the foundation. 

IX. I give and devise my house and lot of ground 
thereto belonging, situate in rue Ramouet aux Char- 
trons, near the city of Bordeaux, in France, and the 
rents, issues, and profits thereof, to my brother, Eti- 
enne Girard, and my niece Victoire Fenellon, (daugh- 
ter of my late sister Sophia Girard Capayron,) (both 
residing in France,) in equal moieties for the life of 
my said brother, and, on his decease, one moiety of 
the said house and lot to my said niece Victoire, and 
her heirs forever, and the other moiety to the six 
children of my said brother, namely, John Fabricius, 
Marguerite, Ann Henriette, Jean August, Marie, and 
Madelaine Henriette, share and share alike, (the 
issue of any deceased child, if more than one, to take 
amongst them the parent's share) and their heirs 
forever. 



X. I give and bequeath to my said brother, Etienne 
Girard, the sum of Five Thousand Dollars, and the 
like sum of Five Thousand Dollars to each of his six 
children above named: if any of the said children 
shall die prior to the receipt of his or her legacy of 
five thousand dollars, the said sum shall be paid, and 
I give and bequeath the same to any issue of such 
deceased child, if more than one, share and share 
alike. 

XI. I give and bequeath to my said niece, Victoire 
Fenellon, the sum of Five Thousand Dollars. 

XII. I give and bequeath absolutely to my niece, 
Antoinetta, now married to Mr. Hemphill, the sum 
of Ten Thousand Dollars, and I also give and be- 
queath to her the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars, to 
be paid over to a trustee or trustees to be appointed 
by my executors, which trustee or trustees shall place 
and continue the said sum of fifty thousand dollars 
upon good security, and pay the interest and divi- 
dends thereof as they shall from time to time accrue, 
to my said niece for her separate use, during the 
term of her life, and from and immediately after her 
decease, to pay and distribute the capital to and 
among such of her children and the issue of deceased 
children, and in such parts and shares as she the said 
Antoinetta, by any instrument under her hand and 
seal, executed in the presence of at least two credi- 
ble witnesses, shall direct and appoint, and for de- 
fault of such appointment, then to and among the 
said children and issue of deceased children in equal 
shares, such issue of deceased children, if more than 
one, to take only the share which their deceased pa- 
rent would have taken if living. 

XIII. I give and bequeath unto my niece, Carolina, 



now married to Mr. Haslam, the sum of Ten Thou- 
sand Dollars, to be paid over to a trustee or trustees 
to be appointed by my executors, which trustee or 
trustees shall place and continue the said money upon 
good security, and pay the interest and dividends 
thereof from time to time as they shall accrue, to 
my said niece, for her separate use, during the term 
of her life; and from and immediately after her 
decease, to pay and distribute the capital to and 
among such of her children and issue o( deceased 
children, and in such parts and shares, as she the 
said Carolina, by any instrument under her hand and 
seal, executed in the presence of at least two credi- 
ble witnesses, shall direct and appoint, and for de- 
fault of such appointment, then to and among the 
said children, and issue of deceased children, in equal 
shares, such issue of deceased children, if more than 
one, to take only the share which the deceased parent 
would have taken if living; but if my said niece, Ca- 
rolina, shall leave no issue, then the said trustee or 
trustees on her decease, shall pay the said capital 
and any interest accrued thereon, to and among Ca- 
roline Lallemand, (niece of the said Carolina,) and 
the children of the aforesaid Antoinetta Hemphill, 
share and share alike. 

XIV. I give and bequeath to my niece Henrietta, 
now married to Dr. Clark, the sum of Ten Thousand 
Dollars; and I give and bequeath to her daughter 
Caroline, (in the last clause above named,) the sum 
of Twenty Thousand Dollars — the interest of the said 
sum of twenty thousand dollars, or so much thereof 
as may be necessary, to be applied to the mainte- 
nance and education of the said Caroline during her 
minority, and the principal with any accumulated in- 






terest, to be paid to the said Caroline, on her arrival 
at the age of twenty-one years. 

XV. Unto each of the Captains who shall be in my 
employment at the time of my decease, either in port, 
or at sea, having charge of one of my ships or ves- 
sels, and having performed at least two voyages in 
my service, I give and bequeath the sum of Fifteen 
Hundred Dollars — provided he shall have brought 
safely into the port of Philadelphia, or if at sea at the 
time of my decease, shall bring safely into that port, 
my ship or vessel last entrusted to him, and also that 
his conduct during the last voyage shall have been 
in every respect conformable to my instructions to 
him. 

XVI. All persons, who, at the time of my decease, 
shall be bound to me by indenture, as apprentices or 
servants, and who shall then be under age, I direct 
my executors to assign to suitable masters immedi- 
ately after my decease, for the remainder of their re- 
spective terms, on conditions as favourable as they 
can in regard to education, clothing and freedom 
dues; to each of the said persons in my service and 
under age at the time of my decease, I give and be- 
queath the sum of Five Hundred Dollars, which sums 
respectively I direct my executors safely to invest in 
public stock, to apply the interest and dividends 
thereof, towards the education of the several ap- 
prentices or servants, for whom the capital is given 
respectively, and at the termination of the appren- 
ticeship or service of each, to pay to him or her the 
said sum of five hundred dollars and any interest ac- 
crued thereon, if any such interest shall remain un- 
expended; in assigning any indenture, preference 
shall be given to the mother, father, or next relation, 



8 

as assignee, should such mother, father, or relative 
desire it, and be at the same time respectable and 
competent. 

XVII. I give and bequeath to Francis Hesley (son 
of Mrs. S. Hesley, who is mother of Marianne Hesley,) 
the sum of One Thousand Dollars, over and above such 
sum as may be due to him at my decease. 

XVIII. I charge my real estate in the State of Penn- 
sylvania with the payment of the several annuities or 
sums following, (the said annuities to be paid by the 
Treasurer or other proper officer of the City of Phila- 
delphia, appointed by the Corporation thereof for the 
purpose, out of the rents and profits of said real es- 
tate hereinafter directed to be kept constantly rented,) 
namely: — 

1st. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Elizabeth Inger- 
soll, Widow of Jared Ingersoll, Esq., late of the City 
of Philadelphia, Counsellor at Law, an annuity, or 
yearly sum of One Thousand Dollars, to be paid in half 
yearly payments, in advance, of five hundred dollars 
each, during her life. 

2d. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Catharine Girard, 
now widow of Mr. J. B. Hoskins, who died in the Isle 
of France, an annuity, or yearly sum of Four Hun- 
dred Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments in 
advance, of two hundred dollars each, during her life. 

3d. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Jane Taylor, my 
present housekeeper, (the widow of the late Captain 
Alexander Taylor, who was master of my ship Helve- 
tius, and died in my employment,) an annuity, or yearly 
sum of Five Hundred Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly 
payments, in advance, of two hundred and fifty dollars 
each, during her life. 

4th. I give and bequeath to Mrs. S. Hesley, my 



housekeeper at my place in Passyunk Township, an 
annuity, or yearly sum of Five Hundred Dollars, to be 
paid in half-yearly payments, in advance, of two hun- 
dred and fifty dollars each, during her life. 

5th. I give and bequeath to Marianne Hesley, daugh- 
ter of Mrs. S. Hesley, an annuity, or yearly sum of 
Three Hundred Dollars, to be paid to her mother, for 
her use, in half-yearly payments, in advance, of one 
hundred and fifty dollars each, until the said Marianne 
shall have attained the age of twenty-one years, when 
the said annuity shall cease, and the said Marianne 
will receive the five hundred dollars given to her and 
other indented persons, according to clause XVI. of 
this will. 

6th. I give and bequeath to my late housekeeper, 
Mary Kenton, an annuity, or yearly sum of Three Hun- 
dred Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments, in 
advance, of one hundred and fifty dollars each, during 
her life. 

7th. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Deborah Scott, 
sister of Mary Kenton, and wife of Mr. Edwin T. 
Scott, an annuity, or yearly sum of Three Hundred 
Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments, in ad- 
vance, of one hundred and fifty dollars each, during 
her life. 

8th. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Catharine M'La- 
ren, sister of Mary Kenton, and wife of Mr. M. 
M'Laren, an annuity, or yearly sum of Three Hundred 
Dollars, to be paid in half-yearly payments, in ad- 
vance, of one hundred and fifty dollars each, during 
her life. 

9th. I give and bequeath to Mrs. Amelia G. Taylor, 
wife of Mr. Richard M. Taylor, an annuity, or yearly 
sum of Three Hundred Dollars, to be paid in half- 



10 



yearly payments, in advance, of one hundred and fifty 
dollars each, during her life. 

XIX. All that part of my real and personal estate, 
near Washita, in the State of Louisiana, the said real 
estate consisting of upwards of two hundred and eight 
thousand arpens, or acres of land, and including there- 
in the settlement hereinafter mentioned, I give, devise, 
and bequeath, as follows, namely: 1. I give, devise and 
bequeath to the Corporation of the City of New Or- 
leans, their successors and assigns, all that part of my 
real estate, constituting the settlement formed on my 
behalf by my particular friend, Judge Henry Bree, of 
Washita, consisting of upwards of one thousand arpens, 
or acres of land, with the appurtenances and improve- 
ments thereon, and also all the personal estate thereto 
belonging, and thereon remaining, including upwards 
of thirty slaves now on said settlement, and their in- 
crease, in trust, however, and subject to the following 
reservations : 

I desire, that no part of the said estate or property, 
or the slaves thereon, or their increase, shall be dis- 
posed of or sold for the term of twenty years from and 
after my decease, should the said Judge Henry Bree 
survive me and live so long, but that the said settlement 
shall be kept up by the said Judge Henry Bree, for and 
during said term of twenty years, as if it was his own; 
that is, it shall remain under his sole care and control, 
he shall improve the same by raising such produce as 
he may deem most advisable, and, after paying taxes, 
and all expenses in keeping up the settlement, by cloth- 
ing the slaves and otherwise, he shall have and enjoy 
for his own use all the nett profits of said settlement. 
Provided, however, and I desire that the said Judge 
Henry Bree shall render annually to the Corporation 






11 

of the City of New Orleans, a report of the state of 
the settlement, the income and expenditure thereof, the 
number and increase of the slaves, and the nett result 
of the whole. I desire that, at the expiration of the 
said term of twenty years, or on the decease of the said 
Judge Henry Bree, should he not live so long, the land 
and improvements forming said settlement, the slaves 
thereon, or thereto belonging, and all other appurtenant 
personal property, shall be sold, as soon as the said 
Corporation shall deem it advisable to do so, and the 
proceeds of the said sale or sales shall be applied by 
the said Corporation to such uses and purposes as they 
shall consider most likely to promote the health and 
general prosperity of the inhabitants of the City of 
New Orleans. But, until the said sale shall be made, 
the said Corporation shall pay all taxes, prevent waste 
or intrusion, and so manage the said settlement and 
the slaves, and their increase thereon, as to derive an 
income, and the said income shall be applied from time 
to time, to the same uses and purposes for the health 
and general prosperity of the said inhabitants. 

2. I give, devise, and bequeath to the Mayor, Alder- 
men, and Citizens of Philadelphia, their successors and 
assigns, two undivided third parts of all the rest and 
residue of my said real estate, being the lands unim- 
proved near Washita, in the said State of Louisiana, 
in trust, that, in common with the Corporation of the 
City of New Orleans, they shall pay the taxes on the 
said lands, and preserve them from waste or intru- 
sion, for the term of ten years from and after my de- 
cease, and, at the end of the said term, when they 
shall deem it advisable to do so, shall sell and dispose 
of their interest in said lands gradually from time to 
time, and apply the proceeds of such sales to the 



13 






came uses and purposes hereinafter declared and di- 
rected, of and concerning the residue of my personal 
estate. 

3. And I give, devise, and bequeath to the Corpora- 
tion of the City of New Orleans, their successors and 
assigns, the remaining one undivided third part of the 
said lands, in trust, in common with the Mayor, Alder- 
men and Citizens of Philadelphia, to pay the taxes on 
the said lands, and preserve them from waste and in- 
trusion, for the term of ten years from and after my 
decease, and, at the end of the said term when they 
shall deem it advisable to do so, to sell and dispose of 
their interest in said lands gradually from time to time, 
and to apply the proceeds of such sales to such uses 
and purposes as the said Corporation may consider 
most likely to promote the health and general pros- 
perity of the inhabitants of the City of New Orleans. 

XX. And whereas, I have been for a long time im- 
pressed with the importance of educating the poor, and 
of placing them by the early cultivation of their minds 
and the development of their moral principles above 
the many temptations, to which, through poverty and 
ignorance they are exposed; and I am particularly de- 
sirous to provide for such a number of poor male white 
ophan children, as can be trained in one institution, a 
better education, as well as a more comfortable main- 
tenance than they usually receive from the application 
of the public funds: And whereas, together with the ob- 
ject just adverted to, I have sincerely at heart the wel- 
fare of the City of Philadelphia, and, as a part of it, am 
desirous to improve the neighbourhood of the river De- 
laware, s6 that the health of the citizens may be pro- 
moted and preserved, and that the eastern part of the 
city may be made to correspond better with the interior: 



IS 

Now, I do give, devise and bequeath all the residue and 
remainder of my Real and Personal Estate of every sort 
and kind wheresoever situate, (the real estate in Penn- 
sylvania charged as aforesaid) unto " the Mayor, Alder- 
men and Citizens of Philadelphia," their successors and 
assigns, in trust, to and for the several uses, intents, 
and purposes hereinafter mentioned and declared of 
and concerning the same, that is to say : So far as re- 
gards my real estate in Pennsylvania, in trust, that no 
part thereof shall ever be sold or alienated by the said 
the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadelphia, or 
their successors, but the same shall for ever thereafter 
be let from time to time, to good tenants, at yearly, or 
other rents, and upon leases in possession not exceeding 
five years from the commencement thereof, and that the 
rents, issues, and profits arising therefrom shall be ap- 
plied towards keeping that part of the said real estate 
situate in the city and liberties of Philadelphia constant- 
ly in good repair, (parts elsewhere situate to be kept in 
repair by the tenants thereof respectively) and towards 
improving the same, whenever necessary, by erecting 
new buildings, and that the nett residue (after paying the 
several annuities herein before provided for) be applied 
to the same uses and purposes as are herein declared 
of and concerning the residue of my personal estate: 
And so far as regards my real estate in Kentucky, now 
under the care of Messrs. Triplett and Burmley, in trust, 
to sell and dispose of the same, whenever it may be ex- 
pedient to do so, and to apply the proceeds of such sale 
to the same uses and purposes as are herein declared of 
and concerning the residue of my personal estate. 

XXI. And so far as regards the residue of my per- 
sonal estate, in trust, as to Two Millions of Dollars, part 
thereof to apply and expend so much of that sum as may 



14 

be necessary — in erecting, as soon as practicably may 
be, in the centre of my square of ground between High 
and Chesnut Streets, and Eleventh and Twelfth Streets, 
in the City of Philadelphia, (which square of ground I 
hereby devote for the purposes hereinafter stated, and 
for no other, for ever,) a permanent college, with suita- 
ble out-buildings, sufficiently spacious for the residence 
and accommodation of at least three hundred scholars, 
and the requisite teachers and other persons necessary 
in such an institution as I direct to be established: and 
in supplying the said college and out-buildings with de- 
cent and suitable furniture, as well as books and all 
things needful to carry into effect my general design. 

The said college shall be constructed with the most 
durable materials, and in the most permanent manner, 
avoiding needless ornament, and attending chiefly to 
the strength, convenience, and neatness of the whole : 
It shall be at least one hundred and ten feet east and 
west, and one hundred and sixty feet north and south, 
and shall be built on lines parallel with High and Ches- 
nut Streets and Eleventh and Twelfth Streets, provided 
those lines shall constitute at their junction right an- 
gles : It shall be three stories in height, each story at 
least fifteen feet high in the clear from the floor to the 
cornice : It shall be fire-proof inside and outside. The 
floors and the roof to be formed of solid materials, on 
arches turned on proper centres, so that no wood may 
be used, except for doors, windows and shutters : Cel- 
lars shall be made under the whole building, solely for 
the purposes of the institution; the doors to them from 
the outside shall be on the east and west of the building, 
and access to them from the inside shall be had by steps, 
descending to the cellar floor from each of the entries 
or halls hereinafter mentioned, and the inside cellar 



15 

doors to open under the stairs on the north-east and 
north-west corners of the northern entry, and under the 
stairs on the south-east and south-west corners or* the 
southern entry ; there should be a cellar window under 
and in a line with each window in the first story — they 
should be built one half below, the other half above the 
surface of the ground, and the ground outside each win- 
dow should be supported by stout walls; the sashes 
should open inside, on hinges, like doors, and there 
should be strong iron bars outside each window ; the 
windows inside and outside should not be less than four 
feet wide in the clear: There shall be in each story four 
rooms, each room not less than fifty feet square in the 
clear; the four rooms on each floor to occupy the whole 
space east and west on such floor or story, and the mid- 
dle of the building north and south; so that in the north 
of the building, and in the south thereof, there may re- 
main a space of equal dimensions, for an entry or hall 
in each, for stairs and landings: In the north-east and 
in the north-west corners of the northern entry or hall 
on the first floor, stairs shall be made so as to form a 
double stair-case, which shall be carried up through the 
several stories; and, in like manner, in the south-east 
and south-west corners of the southern entry or hall, 
stairs shall be made, on the first floor, so as to form a 
double stair-case, to be carried up through the several 
stories; the steps of the stairs to be made of smooth 
white marble, with plain square edges, each step not to 
exceed nine inches in the rise, nor to be less than ten 
inches in the tread; the outside and inside foundation 
walls shall be at least ten feet high in the clear from the 
ground to the ceiling ; the first floor shall be at least 
three feet above the level of the ground around the 
building, after that ground shall have been so regulated 



16 

as that there shall be a gradual descent from the centre 
to the sides of the square formed by High and Chesnut 
and* Eleventh and Twelfth Streets: all the outside foun- 
dation walls, forming the cellars, shall be three feet six 
inches thick up to the first floor, or as high as may be 
necessary to fix the centres for the first floor; and the 
inside foundation wall, running north and south, and 
the three inside foundation walls running east and west 
(intended to receive the interior walls for the four 
rooms, each not less than fifty feet square in the clear, 
above mentioned), shall be three feet thick up to the 
first floor, or as high as may be necessary to fix the 
centres for the first floor when carried so far up, the out- 
side walls shall be reduced to two feet in thickness, 
leaving a recess outside of one foot, and inside, of six 
inches — and when carried so far up, the inside founda- 
tion walls shall also be reduced, six inches on each side, 
to the thickness of two feet; centres shall then be fixed 
on the various recesses of six inches throughout, left for 
the purpose, the proper arches shall be turned, and the 
first floor laid; the outside and the inside walls shall 
then be carried up of the thickness of two feet through- 
out, as high as may be necessary to begin the recess in- 
tended to fix the centres for the second floor, that is, 
the floor for the four rooms, each not less than fifty feet 
square in the clear, and for the landing in the north, 
and the landing in the south of the building, where the 
stairs are to go up — at this stage of the work, a chain, 
composed of bars of inch square iron, each bar about 
ten feet long, and linked together by hooks formed of 
the ends of the bars, shall be laid straightly and horizon- 
tally along the several walls, and shall be as tightly as 
possible worked into the centre of them throughout, and 
shall be secured wherever necessary, especially at all 



the angles, by iron clamps solidly fastened, so as to pre- 
vent cracking or swerving in any part; centres shall 
then be laid, the proper arches turned for the second 
floor and landings, and the second floor and landings 
shall be laid; the outside and the inside walls shall 
then be carried up of the same thickness of two feet 
throughout as high as may be necessary to begin in the 
recess intended to fix the centres for the third floor and 
landings, and, when so far carried up, another chain 
similar in all respects to that used at the second story, 
shall be in like manner worked into the walls throughout 
as tightly as possible, and clamped in the same way 
with equal care ; centres shall be formed, the proper 
arches turned, and the third floor and landings shall be 
laid: the outside and the inside walls shall then be car- 
ried up, of the same thickness of two feet throughout, 
as high as may be necessary to begin the recess intend- 
ed to fix the centres for the roof; and, when so carried 
up, a third chain, in all respects like those used at 
the second and third stories, shall in the manner 
before described, be worked as tightly as possible into 
the walls throughout, and shall be clamped with 
equal care; centres shall now be fixed in the manner 
best adapted for the roof, which is to form the ceiling 
for the third story, the proper arches shall be turned, 
and the roof shall be laid as nearly horizontally as may 
be, consistently with the easy passage of water to the 
eaves: the outside walls still of the thickness of two 
feet throughout, shall then be carried up about two feet 
above the level of the platform, and shall have marble 
capping, with a strong and neat iron railing thereon: The 
outside walls shall be faced with slabs or blocks of mar- 
ble or granite, not less than two feet thick, and fastened 
together with clamps securely sunk therein, — they shall 



it, 



18 

be carried up flush from the recess of one foot formed 
at the first floor where the foundation outside wall is 
reduced to two feet: The floors and landings as well as 
the roof shall be covered with marble slabs, secureh 
laid in mortar; the slabs on the roof to be twice as 
thick as those on the floors. In constructing the walls, 
as well as in turning the arches, and laying the floors, 
landings, and roof, good and strong mortar and grout, 
shall be used, so that no cavity whatever may an; 
where remain. A furnace or furnaces for the genera- 
tion of heated air shall be placed in the cellar, and 
the heated air shall be introduced in adequate quan- 
tity wherever wanted by means of pipes and flues in- 
serted and made for the purpose in the walls, and as 
those walls shall be constructed. In case it shall be 
found expedient for the purposes of a library, or other- 
wise, to increase the number of rooms, by dividing any 
of those directed to be not less than fifty feet square 
in the clear, into parts, the partition walls to be of solie 
materials. A room most suitable for the purpose, shal 
be set apart for the reception, and preservation of my 
books and papers, and I direct that they shall be placed 
there by my executors, and carefully preserved therein. 
There shall be two principal doors of entrance into the 
college, one into the entry or hall on the first floor, in 
the north of the building, and in the centre between the 
east and west walls, the other into the entry or hall in 
the south of the building, and in the centre between th 
east and west walls; the dimensions to be determine 
by a due regard to the size of the entire building, t 
that of the entry, and to the purposes of the doors. 
The necessity for, as well as the position and size of, 
other doors, internal or external, and also the position 
and size of the windows, to be, in like manner, decided 
on by a consideration of the uses to which the building 



Lll 



: 



19 

is to be applied, the size of the building itself, and of the 
several rooms, and of the advantages of light and air: 
there should in each instance be double doors, those 
opening into the rooms to be what are termed glass 
doors, so as to increase the quantity of light for each 
room, and those opening outward to be of substantial 
wood work well lined and secured; the windows of the 
second and third stories I recommend to be made in the 
style of those in the first and second stories of my pre- 
sent dwelling house, North Water Street, on the eastern 
front thereof; and outside each window I recommend 
that a substantial and neat iron balcony be placed suffi- 
ciently wide, to admit the opening of the shutters 
against the walls; the windows of the lower story to 
be in the same style except that they are not to descend 
to the floor, but so far as the surbase, up to which the 
wall is to be carried, as is the case in the lower story of 
my house at my place in Passyunk Township. In mi- 
nute particulars, not here noticed, utility and good taste 
should determine. There should be at least four out- 
buildings, detached from the main edifice and from each 
other, and in such positions as shall at once answer the 
purposes of the institution, and be consistent with the 
symmetry of the whole establishment: each building 
should be, as far as practicable, devoted to a distinct 
purpose; in that one or more of those buildings, in 
which they may be most useful, I direct my executors 
to place my plate and furniture of every sort. *pn 

The entire square, formed by High and Chesnut 
Streets, and Eleventh and Twelfth Streets, shall be en- 
closed with a solid wall, at least fourteen inches thick, 
and ten feet high, capped with marble and guarded with 
irons on the top, so as to prevent persons from getting 
over; there shall be two places of entrance into the 



20 

square, one in the centre of the wall facing High Street, 
and the other in the centre of the wall facing Chesnut 
Street; at each place of entrance there shall be two 
gates, one opening inward, and the other outward: 
those opening inward to be of iron, and in the style 
the gates north and south of my Banking house; an< 
those opening outward to be of substantial wood work 
well lined and secured on the faces thereof with sheet 
iron. The messuages now erected on the south-east 
corner of High and Twelfth Streets, and on Twelfth 
Street, to be taken down and removed as soon as the 
college and out-buildings shall have been erected, so that 
the establishment may be rendered secure and private. 
When the college and appurtenances shall have been 
constructed, and supplied with plain and suitable fiirni- 
ture and books, philosophical and experimental instru- 
ments and apparatus, and all other matters needful to 
carry my general design into execution; the income, 
issues and profits of so much of the said sum of two 
millions of dollars as shall remain unexpended, shall be 
applied to maintain the said college according to my 
directions. 

1. The institution shall be organized as soon as prac- 
ticable, and to accomplish that purpose more effectually, 
due public notice of the intended opening of the college 
shall be given — so that there may be an opportunity to 
make selections of competent instructors, and other 
agents, and those who may have the charge of orphans, 
maybe aware of the provisions intended for them. 

2. A competent number of instructors, teachers, assist- 
ants, and other necessary agents, shall be selected, and 
when needful, their places from time to time supplied: 
they shall receive adequate compensation for their ser- 
vices: but no person shall be employed, who shall not be 



21 

of tried skill in his or her proper department, of esta- 
blished moral character, and in all cases persons shall 
be chosen on account of their merit, and not through 
favour or intrigue. 

3. As many poor white male orphans, between the 
ages of six and ten years, as the said income shall be 
adequate to maintain, shall be introduced into the col- 
lege as soon as possible ; and from time to time as there 
may be vacancies, or as increased ability from income 
may warrant, others shall be introduced. 

4. On the application for admission, an accurate 
statement should be taken in a book prepared for the 
purpose, of the name, birthplace, age, health, condition 
as to relatives, and other particulars useful to be known 
of each orphan. 

5. No orphan should be admitted until the guardians 
or directors of the poor, or a proper guardian or other 
competent authority, shall have given, by indenture, 
relinquishment, or otherwise, adequate power to the 
Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of Philadelphia, or to 
directors, or others by them appointed, to enforce, in 
relation to each orphan, every proper restraint, and to 
prevent relatives or others from interfering with, or 
withdrawing such orphan from the institution. 

6. Those orphans, for whose admission application 
shall first be made, shall be first introduced, all other 
things concurring — and at all future times, priority of 
application shall entitle the applicant to preference in 
admission, all other things concurring; but if there shall 
be at any time, more applicants than vacancies, and the 
applying orphans shall have been born in different 
places, a preference shall be given—first, to orphans 
born in the city of Philadelphia; secondly, to those born 
in any other part of Pennsylvania ; thirdly, to those born 



22 

in the city of New York (that being the first port on 
the continent of North America at which I arrived); 
and lastly, to those born in the city of New Orleans, 
being the first port on the said continent at which I 
first traded, in the first instance as first officer, and sub- 
sequently as master and part owner of a vessel and 
cargo. 

7. The orphans admitted into the college, shall be 
there fed with plain but wholesome food, clothed with 
plain but decent apparel, (no distinctive dress ever to be 
worn) and lodged in a plain but safe manner: Due re- 
gard shall be paid to their health, and to this end their 
persons and clothes shall be kept clean, and they shall 
have suitable and rational exercise and recreation: 
They shall be instructed in the various branches of a 
sound education, comprehending reading, writing, gram- 
mar, arithmetic, geography, navigation, surveying, prac- 
tical mathematics, astronomy, natural, chemical, and 
experimental philosophy, the French and Spanish lan- 
guages, (I do not forbid, but I do not recommend the 
Greek and Latin languages) — and such other learning 
and science as the capacities of the several scholars 
may merit or warrant: I would have them taught facts 
and things, rather than words or signs: And, especially, 
I desire, that by every proper means a pure attachment 
to our republican institutions, and to the sacred rights 
of conscience, as guaranteed by our happy constitutions, 
shall be formed and fostered in the minds of the scho- 
lars. 

8. Should it unfortunately happen, that any of the 
orphans, admitted into the college, shall, from mal- 
<ionduct, have become unfit companions for the rest, 
and mild means of reformation prove abortive, they 
should no longer remain therein. 



23 

9. Those scholars, who shall merit it, shall remain 
in the college until they shall respectively arrive at be- 
tween fourteen and eighteen years of age; they shall 
then be bound out by the Mayor, Aldermen and Citi- 
zens of Philadelphia, or under their direction, to suitable 
occupations, as those of agriculture, navigation, arts, 
mechanical trades, and manufactures, according to the 
capacities and acquirements of the scholars respective- 
ly, consulting, as far as prudence shall justify it, the 
inclinations of the several scholars, as to the occupa- 
tion, art, or trade, to be learned. 

In relation to the organization of the college and its 
appendages, I leave, necessarily, many details to the 
Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadelphia, and 
their successors; and I do so, with the more confi- 
dence, as, from the nature of my bequests and the bene- 
fit to result from them, I trust that my fellow citizens 
of Philadelphia, will observe and evince especial care 
and anxiety in selecting members for their city coun- 
cils, and other agents. 

There are, however, some restrictions, which I con- 
sider it my duty to prescribe, and to be, amongst 
others, conditions on which my bequest for said col- 
lege is made and to be enjoyed, namely: first, I enjoin 
and require, that, if, at the close of any year, the in- 
come of the fund devoted to the purposes of the said 
college shall be more than sufficient for the mainte- 
nance of the institution during that year, then the ba- 
lance of the said income, after defraying such mainte- 
nance, shall be forthwith invested in good securities,, 
thereafter to be and remain a part of the capital; but, 
in no event, shall any part of the said capital be sold, 
disposed of, or pledged, to meet the current expenses of 
the said institution, to which I devote the interest, in- 



24 

come, and dividends thereof, exclusively: Secondly, I 
enjoin and require that no ecclesiastic, missionary, or 
minister of any sect whatsoever, shall ever hold or exercise 
any station or duty whatever in the said college; nor shall 
any such person ever be admitted for any purpose, or as a 
visitor, within the premises appropriated to the purposes 
of the said college: — In making this restriction, I do 
not mean to cast any reflection upon any sect or per- 
son whatsoever; but, as there is such a multitude of 
sects, and such a diversity of opinion amongst them, I 
desire to keep the tender minds of the orphans, who 
are to derive advantage from this bequest, free from 
the excitement, which clashing doctrines and sectarian 
controversy are so apt to produce; my desire is, that 
all the instructors and teachers in the college shall take 
pains to instil into the minds of the scholars, the purest 
principles of morality, so that, on their entrance into ac- 
tive life, they may from inclination and habit, evince be- 
nevolence towards their fellow creatures, and a love of truth, 
sobriety and industry, adopting at the same time such 
religious tenets as their matured reason may enable 
them to prefer. — If the income, arising from that part 
of the said sum of two millions of dollars, remaining 
after the construction and furnishing of the college 
and out-buildings, shall, owing to the increase of the 
number of orphans applying for admission, or other 
cause, be inadequate to the construction of new build- 
ings, or the maintenance and education of as many 
orphans as may apply for admission, then such further 
sum as may be necessary for the construction of new 
buildings and the maintenance and education of such 
further number of orphans, as can be maintained and 
instructed within such buildings as the said square of 
ground shall be adequate to, shall be taken from the 



25 

final residuary fund hereinafter expressly referred to for 
the purpose, comprehending the income of my real 
estate in the city and county of Philadelphia, and the 
dividends of my stock in the Schuylkill Navigation 
Company — my design and desire being, that the bene- 
fits of said institution shall be extended to as great a 
number of orphans as the limits of the said square and 
buildings therein can accommodate. 

XXII. And as to the further sum of Five Hundred 
Thousand Dollars, part of the residue of my personal 
estate, in trust, to invest the same securely, and to 
keep the same so invested, and to apply the income 
thereof exclusively to the following purposes: that is 
to say — 

1. To lay out, regulate, curb, light and pave a pas- 
sage or street, on the east part of the city of Philadel- 
phia, fronting the river Delaware, not less than twenty- 
one feet wide, and to be called Delaware Avenue, ex- 
tending from South or Cedar Street, all along the east 
part of Water Street squares, and the west side of the 
logs, which form the heads of the docks, or thereabouts; 
and to this intent to obtain such Acts of Assembly, 
and to make such purchases or agreements, as will 
enable the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadel- 
phia to remove or pull down all the buildings, fences 
and obstructions which may be in the way, and to pro- 
hibit all buildings, fences, or erections of any kind to 
the eastward of said Avenue; to fill up the heads of 
such of the docks as may not afford sufficient room for 
the said street; to compel the owners of wharves to 
keep them clean and covered completely with gravel or 
other hard materials, and to be so levelled that water 
will not remain thereon after a shower of rain; to 
completely clean and keep clean all the docks within 



the limits of the city, fronting on the Delaware; and to 
pull down all platforms carried out, from the east part 
of the city over the river Delaware on piles or pillars. 

2. To pull down and remove all wooden buildings, 
as well those made of wood and other combustible ma- 
terials, as those called brick-paned, or frame build- 
ings filled in with bricks, that are erected within the 
limits of the city of Philadelphia, and also to prohibit 
the erection of any such building, within the said city's 
limits at any future time. 

3. To regulate, widen, pave and curb Water Street, 
and to distribute the Schuylkill water therein upon the 
following plan, that is to say — that Water Street be 
widened east and west from Vine Street all the way 
to South Street, in like manner as it is from the front 
of my dwelling to the front of my stores on the west 
side of Water Street, and the regulation of the curb- 
stones continued at the same distance from one ano- 
ther, as they are at present opposite to the said dwell- 
ing and stores, so that the regulation of the said street 
be not less than thirty-nine feet wide, and afford a 
large and convenient footway, clear of obstructions 
and incumbrances of every nature, and the cellar doors 
on which, if any shall be permitted, not to extend from 
the buildings on to the footway more than four feet; 
the said width to be increased gradually, as the fund 
shall permit, and as the capacity to remove impedi- 
ments shall increase, until there shall be a correct and 
permanent regulation of Water Street, on the princi- 
ples above stated, so that it may run north and south 
as straight as possible. That the ten feet middle Alley > 
belonging to the public, and running from the centre of 
the east squares to Front Street all the way down across 
Water Street to the river Delaware, be kept open and 



27 

cleaned as city property, all the way from Vine to 
South Street; that such part of each centre or middle 
Alley as runs from Front to Water Street, be arched 
over with bricks or stone, in so strong a manner as to 
facilitate the building of plain and permanent stone 
steps and platforms, so that they may be washed and 
kept constantly clean ; and that the continuance of the 
said Alleys, from the east side of Water Street be 
curbed all the way to the river Delaware, and kept 
open forever. (I understand that those middle or cen- 
tre Alleys, were left open in the first plan of the lots 
on the east front of the city, which were granted from 
the east side of Front Street to the river Delaware, 
and that each lot on said east front has contributed to 
make those Alleys by giving a part of their ground in 
proportion to the size of each lot; those Alleys were 
in the first instance, and still are, considered public 
property, intended for the convenience of the inhabi- 
tants residing in Front Street to go down to the river 
for water and other purposes; but, owing to neglect or 
to some other cause, on the part of those who have 
had the care of the city property, several encroach- 
ments have been made on them by individuals, by wholly 
occupying, or building over them, or otherwise, and in 
that way the inhabitants, more particularly those who 
reside in the neighbourhood, are deprived of the benefit 
of that wholesome air, which their opening and cleans- 
ing throughout would afford.) That the iron pipes, 
in Water Street, which, by being of smaller size than 
those in the other streets, and too near the surface of 
the ground, cause constant leaks, particularly in the 
winter season, which in many places render the street 
impassible, be taken up and replaced by pipes of the 
same size, quality and dimensions in every respect, and 



28 

laid down as deeply from the surface of the ground, as 
the iron pipes, which are laid in the main streets of the 
city; and as it respects pumps for Schuylkill water 
and fire-plugs in Water Street, that one of each be 
fixed at the south-west corner of Vine and Water 
Streets, and so running southward, one of each near the 
steps of the centre Alley, going up to Front Street; 
One of each at the south-west corner of Sassafras and 
Water Streets, one of each near the steps of the centre 
Alley going up to Front Street, and so on at every 
south-west corner of all the main streets and Water 
Street, and of the centre Alleys of every square, as far 
as South or Cedar Street; and when the same shall 
have been completed, that all Water Street shall be 
repaved by the best workmen, in the most complete 
manner, with the best paving water-stones, after the 
height of the curb-stones shall have been regulated 
throughout, as well as the ascent and descent of the 
street, in such manner as to conduct the water through 
the main streets and the centre Alleys to the river De- 
laware, as far as practicable; and whenever any part 
of the street shall want to be raised, to use nothing but 
good paving gravel for that purpose, so as to make the 
paving as permanent as possible. By all which im- 
provements, it is my intention to place and maintain 
the section of the city above referred to, in a condition 
which will correspond better with the general cleanli- 
ness and appearance of the whole city, and be more 
consistent with the safety, health, and comfort of the 
citizens. And my mind and will are, that all the in- 
come, interest, and dividends of the said capital sum of 
five hundred thousand dollars, shall be yearly, and every 
year, expended upon the said objects, in the order in 
which I have stated them as closely as possible, and 



29 

upon no other objects until those enumerated shall have 
been attained; and, when those objects shall have been 
accomplished, I authorize and direct the said The 
Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens, to apply such part of 
the income of the said capital sum of five hundred thou- 
sand dollars, as they may think proper to the further 
improvement, from time to time, of the eastern or De- 
laware front of the city. 

XXIII. I give and bequeath to the Commonwealth 
of Pennsylvania, the sum of Three Hundred Thousand 
Dollars, for the purpose of internal improvement by canal 
navigation, to be paid into the State treasury -by my 
executors, as soon as such laws shall have been enacted 
by the constituted authorities of the said Commonwealth 
as shall be necessary, and amply sufficient to carry into 
effect, or to enable the constituted authorities of the city 
of Philadelphia to carry into effect the several improve- 
ments above specified; namely, 1. Laws, to cause Dela- 
ware Avenue, as above described, to be made, paved,, 
curbed, and lighted; to cause the buildings, fences, and 
other obstructions now existing to be abated and re- 
moved; and to prohibit the creation of any such ob- 
structions to the eastward of said Delaware Avenue;. 

2. Laws, to cause all wooden buildings as above de- 
scribed to be removed, and to prohibit their future 
erection within the limits of the city of Philadelphia ; 

3. Laws, providing for the gradual widening, regu- 
lating, paving, and curbing Water Street, as herein 
before described, and also for the repairing the middle 
alleys, and introducing the Schuylkill water, and pumps, 
as before specified — all which objects may, I persuade 
myself, be accomplished on principles at once just in 
relation to individuals, and highly beneficial to the 
public: the said sum, however, not to be paid, unless 
said laws be passed within one year after my decease. 



30 

XXIV. And as it regards the remainder of said resi- 
due of my personal estate, in trust, to invest the same 
in good securities, and in like manner to invest the 
interest and income thereof from time to time, so that 
the whole shall form a permanent fund; and to apply 
the income of the said fund, 

1st. To the further improvement and maintenance 
of the aforesaid College, as directed in the last para- 
graph of the XXIst clause of this Will: 

2d. To enable the Corporation of the City of Phila- 
delphia to provide more effectually than they now do, 
for the security of the persons and property of the in- 
habitants of the said City, by a competent police, 
including a sufficient number of watchmen, really suited 
to the purpose; and to this end, I recommend a divi- 
sion of the City, into watch districts, or four parts, 
each under a proper head, and that, at least two 
watchman shall, in each round or station, patrole to- 
gether. 

3d. To enable the said Corporation to improve the 
City property, and the general appearance of the City 
itself, and, in effect, to diminish the burden of taxation, 
now most oppressive, especially on those who are the 
least able to bear it: — 

To all which objects, the prosperity of the City, and 
the health and comfort of its inhabitants, I devote the 
said fund as aforesaid, and direct the income thereof 
to be applied yearly and every year forever, after pro- 
viding for the College as hereinbefore directed, as my 
primary object. But, if the said City shall knowingly 
and wilfully violate any of the conditions hereinbefore 
and hereinafter mentioned, then I give and bequeath 
the said remainder and accumulations to the Com- 
monwealth of Pennsylvania, for the purposes of inter- 



31 

nal navigation; excepting, however, the rents, issues, 
and profits of my real estate in the City and County 
of Philadelphia, which shall forever be reserved and 
applied to maintain the aforesaid College, in the man- 
ner specified in the last paragraph of the XXIst clause 
of this Will: And if the Commonwealth of Pennsylva- 
nia shall fail to apply this or the preceding bequest to 
the purposes beforementioned, or shall apply any part 
thereof to any other use, or shall, for the term of one 
year, from the time of my decease, fail or omit to pass 
the laws hereinbefore specified for promoting the im- 
provement of the City of Philadelphia, then I give, 
devise and bequeath the said remainder and accumu- 
lations (the rents aforesaid always excepted and re- 
served for the College as aforesaid) to the United States 
of America, for the purposes of internal navigation, 
and no other. 

Provided, nevertheless, and I do hereby declare, that 
all the preceding bequests and devises of the residue of 
my estate to the Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of 
Philadelphia, are made upon the following express con- 
ditions, that is to say: — First, That none of the monies, 
principal, interest, dividends, or rents, arising from the 
said residuary devise and bequest, shall at any time be 
applied to any other purpose or purposes whatever, 
than those herein mentioned and appointed: — Second, 
That separate accounts, distinct from the other ac- 
counts of the Corporation, shall be kept by the said 
Corporation, concerning the said devise, bequest, Col- 
lege, and funds, and of the investment and application 
thereof; and that a separate account or accounts of the 
same shall be kept in bank, not blended with any other 
account, so that it may at all times appear on exami- 
nation by a committee of the Legislature as herein- 



32 

after mentioned, that my intentions had been fully 
complied with: — Third, That the said Corporation ren- 
der a detailed account annually, in duplicate, to ' the 
Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at 
the commencement of the session, one copy for the 
Senate, and the other for the House of Representa- 
tives, concerning the said devised and bequeathed es- 
tate, and the investment and application of the same, 
and also a report in like manner of the state of the said 
college, and shall submit all their books, papers, and ac- 
connts touching the same, to a committee or commit- 
tees of the Legislature for examination, when the same 
shall be required. 

Fourth, the said Corporation shall also cause to be 
published in the month of January, annually, in two or 
more newspapers, printed in the City of Philadelphia, 
a concise but plain account of the state of the trusts, 
devises and bequests herein declared and made, com- 
prehending the condition of the said college, the num- 
ber of scholars, and other particulars needful to be 
publicly known, for the year next preceding the said 
month of January, annually. 

XXV. And whereas I have executed an assignment, 
in trust, of my banking establishment, to take effect the 
day before my decease, to the intent that all the con- 
cerns thereof may be closed by themselves, without 
being blended with the concerns of my general estate, 
and the balance remaining to be paid over to my exe- 
cutors: Now, I do hereby direct my executors, herein- 
aftermentioned, not to interfere with the said trust in 
any way except to see that the same is faithfully exe- 
cuted, and to aid the execution thereof by all such acts 
and deeds as may be necessary and expedient to effec- 
tuate the same, so that it my be speedily closed, and 



33 

the balance paid over to my executors, to go, as in my 
Will, into the residue of my estate: And I do hereby 
authorize, direct, and empower the said trustees, from 
time to time, as the capital of the said bank shall be 
received, and shall not be wanted for the discharge of 
the debts due thereat, to invest the same in good se- 
curities in the names of my executors, and to hand 
over the same to them, to be disposed of according to 
tfcis my Will. 

XXVI. Lastly, I do hereby nominate and appoint 
Timothy Paxson, Thomas P. Cope, Joseph Roberts, 
William J. Duane, and John A. Barclay, executors of 
this my last Will and Testament: I recommend to them 
to close the concerns of my estate as expeditiously as 
possible, and to see that my intentions in respect to the 
residue of my estate are and shall be strictly complied 
with: and I do hereby revoke all other Wills by me 
heretofore made. 

In witness, I, the said Stephen Girard, have to this 
my last Will and Testament, contained in thirty-five 
pages, set my hand at the bottom of each page, and 
my hand and seal at the bottom of this page; the said 
Will executed, from motives of prudence, in duplicate, 
this sixteenth day of February, in the year one thou- 
sand eight hundred and thirty. 

STEPHEN GIRARD. [Seal.] 

Signed, sealed, published, and declared" 

by the said Stephen Girard, as and for 

his last Will and Testament, in the 

presence of us,^ho have at his re- 
quest hereunto subscribed our names 

as witnesses thereto, in the presence 

of the said Testator, and of each other. 

Feb. 16, 1830. 

JOHN H." IRWIN, 
SAMUEL ARTHUR. 
S. H CARPENTER 



34 

WHEREAS, I, Stephen Girard, the Testator named 
in the foregoing Will and Testament, dated the six- 
teenth day of February, eighteen hundred and thirty, 
have, since the execution thereof, purchased several 
parcels and pieces of real estate, and have built sundry 
Messuages, all which, as well as any real estate that I 
may hereafter purchase, it is my wish and intention 
to pass by the said Will : Now, I do hereby republish 
the foregoing last Will and Testament, dated February 
16, 1830, and do confirm the same in all particulars: 
In witness, I, the said Stephen Girard, set my hand and 
seal hereunto, the twenty-fifth day of December, eigh- 
teen hundred and thirty. 

STEPHEN GIRARD. [Seal.] 

Signed, sealed, published, and declared" 
by the said Stephen Girard, as and for 
a republication of his last Will and Tes- 
tament, in the presenee of us, who, at his 
request, have hereunto subscribed our 
names as Witnesses thereto in the pre- 
sence of the said Testator and of each 
other, December 25th, 1830. 

JOHN H. IRVIN, 
SAMUEL ARTHUR, 
JNO. THOMSON. 

WHEREAS, I, Stephen Girard, the Testator named 
in the foregoing Will and Testament, dated February 
16, 1830, have, since the execution, thereof, purchased 
several parcels and pieces of land and real estate, and 
have built sundry Messuages, all which, as well as any 
real estate that I may hereafter purchase, it is my 
intention to pass by said Will; And whereas in parti- 
cular, I have recently purchased from Mr. William 
Parker, the Mansion House, out-buildings, and forty- 
five acres and some perches of land, called Peel Hall, 
on tfie Ridge Road, in Penn Township: Now, I declare 
it to be my intention, and I direct, that the Orphan 



35 

establishment, provided for in ray said Will, instead of 
being built as therein directed upon my square of ground 
between High and Chesnut and Eleventh and Twelfth 
Streets in the City of Philadelphia, shall he built upon 
the estate so purchased from Mr. W. Parker, and I 
hereby devote the said estate to that purpose, exclusive- 
ly, in the same manner as I had devoted the said 
square, hereby directing that all the improvements and 
arrangements for the said Orphan establishment pre- 
scribed by my said Will as to said square shall be made 
and executed upon the said estate, just as if I had 
in my Will devoted the said estate to said purpose — 
consequently, the said square of ground is to constitute, 
and I declare it to be a part of the residue and remain- 
der of my real and personal estate, and given and de- 
vised for the same uses and purposes as are declared in 
section twenty, of my Will, it being my intention that 
the said square of ground shall be built upon and im- 
proved in such a manner as to secure a safe and per- 
manent income for the purposes stated in said twentieth 
section. In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Gi- 
rard, set my hand and seal hereunto, the twentieth day 
of June, eighteen hundred and thirty one. 

STEPHEN GIRARD. [,SW.] 

Signed, sealed, published, and declared," 

by the said Stephen Girard, as and for 

a republication of his last Will and 

Testament, and a further direction in 

relation to the real estate therein men- 

tioned, in the presence of us, who, at \ 

his request, have hereunto subscribed 

our names as witnesses thereto, in the 

presence of the said Testator, and of 

each other, June 20, 1831. 

S. H. CARPENTER, 
L. BARDIN, 
SAMUEL ARTHUR. 



36 

Philadelphia, December 31st, 1831, — Then personally ap- 
peared Samuel Arthur and S. H. Carpenter, two of the wit- 
nesses to the foregoing Will and the second Codicil or repub- 
lication thereof, and on their oaths did say that they were 
present, and did see and hear Stephen Girard the testator in 
the said Will and second republication thereof named, sign, 
seal, publish and declare the same as and for his last Will and 
Testament, and republication thereof, and that at the doing 
thereof, he was of sound mind, memory and understanding, to 
the best of their knowledge and belief; and at the same time 
appeared Jno. Thomson, one of the witnesses to the first re- 
publication of said Will, and on his solemn affirmation did say 
that he was present, and did sec and hear Stephen Girard, the 
testator in the first republication of said Will, named, sign, 
seal, publish, and declare the same as and for a republication 
of his last Will and Testament. And the said Samuel Ar- 
thur, another of the witnesses to said first republication of said 
Will, on his oath did further say? that he was present, and 
did see and hear Stephen Girard, the testator in the first re- 
publication of said Will, named, sign, seal, publish and de- 
clare the same as and for a republication of his last Will and 
Testament, and they both did say that at the doing thereof, 
he was of sound mind, memory and understanding, to the best 
of their knowledge and belief. 

Coram, 

J. HUMES, Register. 

December 31, 1831. — Timothy Paxson and Thomas P. 
Cope, two of the Executors, affirmed, and Joseph Roberts, 
William J. Duane, and John A. Barclay, the other Execu- 
tors, sworn, and letters testamentary granted unto them. 



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